Modifying a Layout

Once you have applied a layout to a group you can customize the components and modify the layout as follows:

  • Click on the group where you wish to modify the layout (an existing layout is indicated by the  symbol).
  • Click on the Edit button to display the layout editor.  The current layout is divided into three areas:
  • Header – the header area is displayed at the top of every page in this group – this includes the group homepage, the contents of an article and the contents of a forum.  In most cases this area will contain an image component containing the logo of your church, the status bar component allowing members to login, and the drop-down menus component allowing users to navigate around the web site.
  • Contents – this area is used to display the selected content.  The layout shown in the layout editor is used to display the group homepage.
  • Footer – as with the header section, this area is displayed at the bottom of every page.  You must include the footer bar component in this area as it contains links to ‘terms and conditions’ documents.

    Components are inserted into the cells of a table; new cells can be added using the buttons in the insert toolbar and removed by merging them with neighbouring cells.  For example:

     

     

    The appearance toolbar allows you to set a maximum width for any cell by specifying a maximum number of pixels or by specifying a percentage of the table width.  You can also allocate a style code to a particular cell and set properties for all cells with that code (such as background image and color) in the theme.

     

    The following components can be added to your layout:

     

    Adverts Displays banner adverts.  If this component is added to the web site home page it will display adverts from all groups in rotation.  If this component is added to a group home page it will display adverts located in that group only.  The advert component must be the same size for all groups on your web site.
    Article Displays the contents of a single article.  This may be an article already located in your group, the group homepage, or a document produced by HTML code.
    Articles List A component displaying the latest published articles.  If this component is added to the web site home page it will display the most recent articles with the “Feature on web site front page” option checked.  If this component is added to a group home page it will display the most recent articles published in this group.
    Calendar Displays upcoming events.  If this component is added to the web site home page it will display upcoming events in all groups which are visible to the user.  If this component is added to a group home page it will show events located in this group only.
    Drop down menus A component containing the drop-down menus found at the top of most pages to allow you to navigate around the site.
    Footer bar  The footer bar appears at the bottom of most web pages and contains copyright notices as well as links to ‘terms and conditions’ documents.
    Forums A component containing recent additions to forums.  If this component is added to the web site home page it will display the most recent additions to all forums visible to the user.  If this component is added to the a group home page it will display recent additions to forums located in this group. 
    Group Navigation  The group navigation module displays the title of the current group with links to any sub-groups beneath.  This component will not be visible on the web site home page. 
    Image/Flash  Displays a static image, a random image from a collection, or a Macromedia ‘Flash’ movie file. 
    Media List  Displays a list of recent recordings added to this group. 
    RSS Reader  Enables you to feature news from a variety of sources, select from a range of “verse of the day” features, or add your own RSS source to a scrolling or static display. 
    Polls  Displays voting polls located in the current group.
    Search  A component which allows users to search for keywords within the church web site or across the internet (using one of a range of popular search engines).  A bible search also allows users to search for a passage or keyword in one of a wide selection of different bible translations. 
    Status  A component found at the top of most web pages allowing visitors to log in and containing links to the web office for administrators. 
    Weather  Feature a local weather forecast on your home page. 

     

    To add a new component to your home page:

    • Drag a component from the components list into the appropriate cell in the table.  You can add more than one component to a single cell if required.

    Once the component has been added to your layout you can reposition it at any time by dragging the component to a new location.

    • Double click on the component to set additional options for this item.  Alternatively click the  button to display the properties window.

    At any time you can see the effect of the change you have made by clicking the Preview button in the top-right corner.  If you wish to delete a component click the  button.  Once you have finished making changes to the layout:

    • Click the Save button.

    The changes you have made will be applied to your group; if the apply this layout to child groups option is selected it will also be applied to any sub-groups.

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